Blood Drug
by Somnium.0
Summary: Sookie hadn't ever met a vampire until the night Tara offered her vampire blood, and she hadn't known how much change that decision would bring to her world. AR.
1. Blood Drug

"Isn't that illegal?"

The words left my lips uncertainly as I stared at the tiny, crimson-filled vial. I'd heard about the people they called 'drainers' on the news, reports that had started not long after the vampires had 'come out of the coffin.' Didn't most of those people injure or kill the vampires they took the blood from? The thought didn't sit very well with me. I wasn't any fangbanger, but I wasn't entirely lacking sympathy on this illicit topic.

Tara looked at me like I was stupid. I sighed. "It'll be fun," she coaxed, grinning. I didn't really get the point of the stuff, but I guess that that's what half of people's fascination with it was. It was supposed to be mysterious. Maybe that's why Tara had invited me over that evening - I probably seemed like the type of girl who needed excitement. Of the illegal variety, apparently.

I didn't approve of draining at all, but what could I do about it now that it had already been stoppered in that tiny, innocuous bottle?

I watched as Tara lifted the vial and carfeully tipped half of it's contents into her mouth, which with the minute size of the bottle was only about two drops. She handed it to me, and after a second of hesitation I repeated the process.

The vampire blood tasted metallic. It was thick and generally not particularly pleasant.

I carefully set the emptied bottle down on the coffee table which sat infront of Tara and I. Her living room was decorated in down-to-earth, but colorful arrangements of tasteful furniture and trinkets. It was a modest house, like most in the area of Bon Temps, but Tara had managed to do very well of putting her flair into the style of it.

A moment passed in silence. I wondered when I was supposed to feel anything, because I wasn't. I think I was half expecting some abrupt rush to come on.

"How's everything going with Sam?" Tara asked then, and I carefully avoided her hint at the non-romantic-relationship between my boss and I by interpreting it as a question about how work had been. "He's doing okay. It was a little bit of a slow night at Merlotte's." Though she would have noticed, since she'd been at the bar earlier with Jason. Arlene had served them. But Tara liked to hint just as anyone else close to me liked to, because I'd been without a steady male presence for a good long time and anyone with any wit would notice. We continued on with small talk for a good forty-five minutes or so, and though I didn't notice it, the time-frame and chit-chat seemed to just begin to melt together.

In the middle of our conversation about Tara's story concerning a customer she'd had walk into her store that day, which seemed quite a bit more amusing than it should have, I lost concentration of her voice in favor of watching the entirety of my surroundings suddenly brighten and take on a high-def quality. Or had it always been like that? Surely everything had been looking this wonderful for awhile now, if only I had taken the time to pay attention. I gazed at the coffee mug on the table with some interest, and smiled widely. Tara watched and giggled.

And that is when the vampire knocked on the front door.

Tara looked confused for a second when she heard the short succession of hard thumps emanating from the side of her living room, before she glanced at me. "Did you invite anyone else over tonight?" She asked in a thoughtful voice. I shook my head no.

She got up to answer it anyway. She was overwhelmingly curious as to who it could be, I knew. I could hear it from her thoughts, her body language, the blood making it all the more vivid; I could almost sense it more than lift it from her head. For the life of me, though, I couldn't figure out the thoughts of the blank spot standing outside her door, and that bothered me something awful right then. I told myself I was being silly, and then I just felt curious too; all that strong emotion waving off of her and reaching me, enveloping all of my own emotions like something nearly tangible... Yeah, the vamp blood was definitely working.

She opened the door, and there outside it stood a tall, blonde man. His hair was light and quite long, though it was brushed behind his shoulders. He wore a modest ensemble consisting of a gray T-Shirt and a worn pair of jeans. I instantly realized that he was a vampire. He had a little bit of a glow around him, I suppose you could say. I could literally see it, but I wasn't sure if that was the blood or not. Well, that explained why trying to read his thoughts only gave me a big blank spot to work with. I automatically assumed that Tara could tell what he was, too, even though she didn't think it. Well, you know what assuming makes out of you and me.

"Tara Thornton?" the man asked sheepishly. He had a thick southern drawl, and as handsome as I was aware he was, the thickness of that silly accent was definitely a negative. Tara nodded. "I sure am sorry to bother you so late, miss, but I believe I saw you at Merlotte's earlier on just while you were fixin' to leave. You'd left something behind, though you were too quick in hurrying on out of there and I just didn't catch you in time," the man said, looking preoccupied with digging for said object in his coat pocket. I watched with much interest, and he spared a glance and a little smile over her shoulder in my direction with a pair of unbelievably blue eyes. I smiled right on back. Tara's eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh! Well come on in, I haven't been able to find my cellphone since I got back home."

And so he did. Tara Thornton, inviting vampire strangers into her house. I suddenly felt absolutely, consumingly horrified; Some train-wreck had just been set into motion, and I knew now that there was nothing I could do. My heart started to pound in my chest like some wild thing, and all I could do for a long moment was stare.  
"Tara, can't you see?" I said in warning, nearly unable to hear my own voice over the pounding in my ears.  
The vampire smiled and walked past the threshold, closing the door very firmly behind him. He checked over her shoulder again, smiling at my terrified gaze.  
If I moved he could snap my neck in a second, so I didn't.

Then he grabbed Tara by her shoulders, and gazed into her eyes. "Did you take vampire blood tonight?" he asked, and his voice had lost all trace of that southern accent - he'd been faking it.

My eyes went wide, and suddenly I found my voice. "Take your hands off of her!" I demanded. He ignored me. I looked around frantically for some means of defense, but Tara wasn't the kind of girl who kept a shotgun hanging around the living room, and the blonde man was blocking the only way out. I barely registered Tara's apathetic nod as she stood, enthralled by the vampire.

"You're never going to buy or use it again, now, are you?" he continued, and I watched, horrified, prepared for the undead creature to do something unspeakable to my best friend. Tara slowly shook her head no, staring blankly back at him.

"Good," he said. "Don't. Now go into your room and go to bed. You're very tired," he said. Tara turned obediently, marched - if a bit sluggishly - out of the living room and into her bedroom, and shut the door behind her.

Was that all? Did he expect to slap my wrist and send me off to bed, too? Was he going to come back later and kill us? Was he honestly going to spare the violence, if only in interest of the law? It was illegal for vampires to kill humans, but did this one care? There were only so many thoughts my head could entertain in a couple second's span, even as a telepath.

I stood quickly, though I wasn't sure of where I would go. I didn't even recall making the decision to stand. The vampire was still blocking the doorway. "Sookie Stackhouse?" he asked as he turned his attention towards me. Oh, my turn. I just looked at him.  
The only time in my life I ever could have hoped that I could read a person's mind, rather than wishing I could block it out, and the vampire was a completely blank slate to me. I tried to focus - I certainly wasn't going to touch him to try to tune in - but it was fruitless. Just my luck.  
"I can't hear you," I whispered, and he just scowled. He stared at me then, catching my gaze, and I could tell he was going to try the same trick he had with Tara. "Come here," he said.  
My heart was pounding so hard I could feel my fingertips going prickly.  
Nothing happened. I felt a little shiveriness in the air around me, a little commanding pull in the air, but it didn't influence me.

"No!" I said defiantly, stupidly, and maybe if I wasn't so pre-occupied with escaping I would have thought to do the smart thing and pretend to be glamored too. He looked mildly surprised for the briefest of seconds. He crossed the room in a flash, grabbing my shoulders harshly. "You will listen to me," he growled as I struggled against him, feeling as if the world was collapsing around me. I could fight and spit as hard as I could - I would - but I would still die effortlessly.  
I screamed.  
He raised his hand to grab my chin tightly, clamping his fingers over my lips to quiet me, forcing me to look up at him. "Listen to me. Stop this; I am not going to kill you."

I only struggled more. Liar. Apparently his little trick didn't work on me, and he didn't like that very much at all. I found a calm purchase long enough to feel triumph for that.

"What are you?" he finally asked when he'd failed a third time at glamoring me, moving his hand from my mouth to just hold my chin. "I'm a waitress," I said angrily, deliberately misunderstanding him, still trying to pull myself away. His grip was tight and was becoming painful. I wondered if I'd have bruises in the morning... If I actually had a chance to wake up in the morning.

I screamed again as he leaned into my neck, his fangs extended. He didn't cover my mouth again. I tried to pull away... But he only sniffed me. Soft inhale, lingering, an exhale against my skin before he leaned away again. I re-learned how to breathe.

"You have fairy blood," he said.

"W-What? Let me go. I won't use vampire blood again. I didn't want to anyway," I babbled, and it was the truth. I could barely understand his words, adrenaline and the pounding of my heartbeat constant in my ears.

"It was my blood," he said coolly, and dread filled me when the words registered. Oh, damn. Damn damn damn.

I shoved at him as hard as I could, and very much to my surprise he faltered back a step - or maybe he let me do that - his hands leaving my shoulders. He regained himself before I did, though, and shoved me back, into the wall. The push wasn't that hard - it would have been a lot less painful if I hadn't managed to knock my head off of the wall as I fell back. It hurt, and I nearly collapsed to the floor before he caught me, only to pull me up and force me against the wall again. I saw stars as he pinned my wrists against the rough texture of the painted surface. "Your blood will be a nice repayment for having had mine, I think, since I cannot make you forget it," he said.

"No!" I protested, and finally brilliance struck me, only a million times too late, "Try and glamor me again, I'm sure it will-"

And then he bit me. I stopped short in my sentence and cried out as his fangs slid into my neck, sharp as razors. God, it hurt like you wouldn't believe. "Stop!" I screamed, because I didn't know if he would. I couldn't get enough leverage this time to be able to push him away, with my wrists pinned against the wall. I'm ashamed to say that at that moment, I let out just about every cuss word I had learned up until that point in my life. I could feel every draw he took as the warm blood filled the space between my neck and his lips. I felt even worse that I had brought this upon myself. I had taken his blood, for goodness sake, and he'd undoubtedly been injured, if not nearly killed, in the process of having been drained. He'd come back to show me exactly why I already knew I shouldn't have done it in the first place. How could I have taken someone's blood? Someone had done to him what he was doing to me now, and I had known, and I had drank it. This was all my fault, I thought.  
I began to feel dizzy, and suddenly, he stopped.

He withdrew his fangs, licked once against the wound before he pulled away, and then he released me.

I registered all of this faintly, like it happened quickly, and I knew I should keep fighting but I was just starting to hurt all over. The adrenaline had faded, leaving me feeling fuzzy and a little nauseous. He stepped away. The world swam before me and I tried to move forward, nearly stumbled, and settled for leaning against the wall just the way I was before. I closed my eyes.

I could practically feel the endorphins tingling down my limbs as I felt the rush of warm relief wash over me. Or maybe that was just dizziness from the blood loss. Either way- he didn't kill me, and I was glad.

"Are you done?" I asked, opening my eyes. I felt a little better for having steadied myself for a moment.

I watched as he stood back, fishing in his coat pockets again. He tossed Tara's cellphone on to the sofa we'd been sitting on earlier. Though he had looked cool and collected this whole time, he looked sated now, calm and pleased. I thought about how I'd heard in news and magazine articles about Fangbangers, and how enjoyable the lot of them claimed 'donating' to be. Not only were they an undesirable group, they were horrible liars. That had just hurt, a lot. I pushed the slightly irrelevant thought from my mind.

"I swear I won't tell anyone," I offered in a dizzy gush, bringing my hand up to my throbbing neck. The wound was closed but for a thin line of blood which trailed and dipped down my collarbone to stain the top of my tank-top. He hadn't answered my question. I realized with renewed horror that that taste might have just been the beginning.  
"Are you going to..."

"I don't really have time this evening to bury a body," he answered. I cringed inwardly. Either he was being a jerk or he was really that stereotypical; I wasn't sure, because I'd never met a vampire before.

Then he seemed to change his mind on his choice of words. "Even if it would not be a hassle for me to do so, you were not the one who drained me. Your ignorance in the situation seems honest."

Well, I didn't much appreciate being called ignorant, but I couldn't deny that, though it seemed childish, we were about even now. The thought process was foggy but I couldn't think of any way it was illogical. Unnecessary, yes. Following a certain logic, albeit a violent one, yes. Tit for tat. He didn't look it now, but I'm sure he had been left sore and beaten when he'd been drained nearly to death. There were plenty good reasons not to assault someone in revenge, so I wasn't inwardly forgiving him there, but I could understand the sentiment all the same.

"How did you know we'd taken vamp... Your blood?" I asked, when the thought suddenly occurred to me. I was finding it a little hard to filter my thoughts through the haziness. He scoffed. "It's my own blood. I can sense any human who has taken my blood, whether I have given it to them or someone else has." I gulped when the words registered. "In case you haven't noticed, our blood isn't like yours," he says with a slight tone of sarcasm, "Call it magic if it suits you."

I thought that the media said that vampires just had a sickness? I took a second to think that over, and wasn't sure how to feel about it. If he hadn't drained me just then, he probably wouldn't come back to do it later. I hoped. His obscure expression was hard to read, and it bothered me all over again that I couldn't hear his thoughts. Maybe in any other situation it would be a relief - so much of one! - but not right now. His expression was almost amused, or intrigued, and I didn't particularly appreciate either of those at the moment, so I ignored it, trying to decide if I should feel relieved that I was alive or be freshly afraid.

I thought for a moment. "I'm sorry I took it. I know what drainers do to vampires," I said, and I really meant it. "There wasn't anything I could do to stop it when it was already bottled, I thought..." The more I allowed myself to calm down, the more I felt ashamed, and I knew I should have. Not that I approved of the way the vampire had decided to retaliate, not at all, but I could understand why on some level. I sure would have had something to say to the people who had taken something like that from me, if it had been me, even though I wasn't much of one for violence. I was shaken and upset, but if I had had the mind earlier to refuse the vampire blood then he wouldn't have found me. Or at least, he wouldn't have wanted to handle me like he had Tara.

For about the hundredth time I wished I had faked being glamored. Maybe then he wouldn't have... Drank from me.

The vampire looked at me curiously. First with distaste, as if he wondered if I wasn't just acting apologetic to look good. "You're different," he finally said, and it should have sounded cliche, but he said it with a genuine interest.  
Most people thought I was a freak. Good to know I seemed interesting to the undead... Not!

Then he gave me a card. Like, an actual business card. It was white with 'Fangtasia' scrawled in a red font along the top. I looked at it dumbly after I took it from his pale hand. How about that? I just stared, looking from the card to him.

Why?

"My name is Eric. I would not mind if you paid a visit sometime," he said, gesturing towards the card.

He smiled then, and left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

I don't think I could ever tell you how I managed to fall asleep after the vampire left the night before, but I did. It wasn't exactly a rejuvenating full 8 hours of peaceful rest, but it was rest all the same.

Tara woke before I did in the morning. I smelled the coffee brewing as I sat up groggily in bed, taking a second to register that I wasn't in my own house. Deep morning light filtered in through the windows, shaded by gauzy curtains the rich color of burnt sienna. The whole guest room was done in those earthy colors of red, brown, and orange, so that crawling under the sheets was like sleeping on your own quiet little piece of earth for the night. Sometimes I envied Tara's modern eye for decoration, but it was always the best to return to the charm of my family's old-fashioned little house after being away for a little while.  
I sat up in the bed and stretched indulgently, trying to shake the rest of the sleep off. I was slightly sore. Why...?  
Oh, yeah. I remembered the events of the night before all at once after I'd woken up enough to think back to it, and it was one big, confusing jumble. I felt myself flush. I took a deep breath or two to calm myself, pushing away a panic attack, and told myself I was overreacting. Geeze, it wasn't the first time I'd ever made a mistake, right? A particularly stupid one, but nothing I couldn't deal with in my own time. Right?  
What I really wanted to do was groan defeatedly and fall back into the bed, but it wasn't my own room and I wasn't going to be discourteous, so I managed to get myself up. I felt considerably better after I had calmed down. I wasn't hurt or scared any longer, I was just really confused, and still slightly ashamed. Last night had been the first time I'd met a vampire, been bitten, used an illicit substance... I still had a lot to think about concerning what had happened, to say the least. How did I manage so many illegal and unbecoming things in a couple hour's span?

Besides, I really wanted to check on Tara. I wasn't sure what she'd remember, or if she'd act any differently now. I hoped not. Maybe she just wouldn't remember what had happened, and that would be it. So long as she was still Tara and she wasn't harmed, then everything would still be good. Well, not any worse, anyhow.

I retrieved my shoes from the side of the bed, where I had kicked them off at the night before. I hadn't brought a change of clothes or anything with me, since I'd just be able to change when I got home. Not like I really would have felt like changing after I had finally crawled into the bed last night, anyway. I had to spend a few minutes finding a way to fluff my hair over my neck so that when I greeted Tara I wouldn't be sporting inexplicable bite wounds.  
After I slipped on my shoes, I walked out into the kitchen to join Tara.

Tara's kitchen looked like just about any other kitchen. After all, there's not many ways you can really decorate one without it still looking pretty much like every other typical kitchen.  
A small table surrounded by four chairs was fitted strategically to the side, leaving just enough room for a person or two to be able to navigate the rest of the room comfortably. Tara sat at the table, drinking her coffee. She gave me a big grin and said "Good Morning," after I walked in. I let out the proverbial breath I'd been holding in. "Good morning," I returned, and gestured towards the coffee pot questioningly, which was sitting on the counter top on the opposite side of the room as the table. She nodded in invitation.

When I had sat down with my coffee, I carefully listened to her mind. She didn't seem addled or different. Her thought patterns were the same. The only odd thing was that she didn't seem to actually be giving any thought to remembering anything that had happened last night.  
I sipped my coffee thoughtfully. "What did you think about last night?" I asked conversationally. Tara looked up from her drink, and shook her head scornfully, though it didn't seem to be directed at me. "I'm sorry I gave you that Vamp blood, Sook. You know I didn't mean to, but I guess I really kind of cornered you into it." She took a deep drink from her mug, and sighed.  
"Don't worry about it," I said, and I meant it. It wasn't like she'd force-fed it to me. "I could have refused."  
"I didn't think I'd be one of those people who got real sick after they took it," she continued.  
I could tell that that's what she had believed to have happened. I watched her play it out in her mind: After we'd taken it, she thought very clearly about how she'd become ill and had apologized to me before turning in for the night, feeling quite sick. Throughout the entirety of this, she thought over and over again, very firmly, about how she would _never_ touch that stuff again. She voiced it: "I'm never going to use it again."  
I thought about what Eric had told her before she'd gone to bed the night before, and tried not to think about how odd it really was to hear her repeat those words, without any memory of having been subconsciously commanded to do so.

I didn't tell Tara about what had _really_ happened. I didn't want to bother with trying to change her set view on what she thought had happened, which was quite a nice and harmless thing to believe. I hated to think it, but I'd have probably been better off if I'd at least pretended that the glamor had worked on me, too, but I hadn't thought of that quickly enough. Why _hadn't_ it worked on me? Was I broken or something? Not that I was complaining. As horrible as the night's events had been, I would rather remember it than have my mind manipulated like Tara had. It was sorta creepy.

Tara and I said our goodbyes not long after we had finished our coffee. We hung around and chatted for a few minutes after placing the mugs in the sink, before we both admitted we had other things to be doing that day. She urged me to call her again sometime, and after exchanging other similar pleasantries with her, I left.

I thought about what had really happened on the drive back home, all the way to the house. When I got there, I decided to ignore the cleaning - for just a few minutes. I was normally a busybody when I was frustrated, but just then I simply felt like laying in bed. Not for very long, but I wanted to take a second to sort of have a review and collect my thoughts and bearings concerning the previous night. After I was done, I assured myself, I would not put off the chores that I needed to tend to around the house any longer.

When I finally made it there - to my bedroom, that is - I laid down on the welcoming quilt. It had been a quilt Gran had made, before she'd passed away about a year ago. I'd been living alone in the house since then. I got comfortable, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully.  
The first thing that I wondered was who on earth this Eric guy was supposed to be. He was a vampire, obviously. A blond, and definitely not-so-bad-looking one at that, but that was besides the point. I'd never seen him before, at least not that I remembered, but he'd known my name, my _full_ name when he'd come into Tara's house last night. Apparently he'd hung around the bar long enough to have taken up Tara's cellphone, but I didn't actually remember seeing him there - Was I that busy with my own tables? I may have been, but the thought still didn't sit very well with me.  
He'd obviously known that Tara had the vampire blood with her. Could he smell it? It would make sense if he could, since he was a vampire and it was his own blood. I tried not to think too hard about what had happened to the person or persons who had actually drained him and made the mistake (at least, a mistake on their part) of leaving him alive... Or undead, anyway.  
Both Tara and I had taken it, but he'd only glamored Tara. Had he bitten me just because he figured it was the next best thing to doing the same thing to me? I remembered that he'd said I had fairy blood, and I had no idea what _that_ was supposed to mean. Is that why he'd bitten me? Because I smelled good or something? Maybe I'd just misunderstood him.  
It was supposed to be illegal for a vampire to bite a human. I was still on the fence about that, though, because I'd have been upset if I'd been restrained and had something so invasive as my own blood taken from me... He had done that to me, yes, but he'd had it done to him firstly. I hadn't drained him personally, but I'd contributed in a way. I wasn't a vampire though, so I wasn't sure how they usually handled that. All I could be happy for now was that they didn't handle it by killing people, or at least this vampire didn't.

I think he could tell that I was different... Could he tell that I was a telepath? Maybe that's why he didn't kill me. Maybe he gave me his card for no other reason than that he was curious about what I was. Hm.

Eric had reacted as if I'd been the first one he couldn't glamor into forgetting the whole thing and staying away from the stuff. I guess that if you're a mainstreaming-minded vampire, that would be the most logical thing to do about the draining problem; If you kill the people, you receive negative media attention. If you manipulate the people into just plain not wanting it, there would be less of a demand for it in the area, which would make it safer for everyone. Kinda.

I became aware that this time that I had set aside to try to sort things out wasn't doing much good at all. I was just asking a lot of questions that I still didn't seem to have any answers for. I sighed out loud.

Finally, I considered the business card. I shifted so that I could pull the card from my pocket, and held it up to examine again. It was slightly rumpled from my having slept with it in my jeans. I wiggled it between my fingers, making the red ink shine as I wondered whether or not I should go.  
It's not exactly as if Eric and I had gotten off to a good start. In my mind, the only good things, if you want to call it that, I could think of that had come out of that night was that I'd probably gotten what I'd deserved for taking drained vampire blood, learning a few life lessons, and that I hadn't been killed. That didn't seem like a good premise to dropping by the bar he worked at for a nice chat.  
Eric and I had ended up pretty even in the end. I tried to feel neutral about it, but everything still felt quite abrupt, and naturally it wasn't like I was happy about what had happened. I had been assaulted. It was like some big coincidence I'd ended up being thrown into the middle of. I knew that it was just the decision of going or not, but he was a vampire who had shown up at Tara's house under false pretenses because we'd had a vial of his own blood. I shook my head. The one time I had actually changed up my usual routine and decided to do something I normally wouldn't have, this had happened. Yay me?  
I tried to think about the situation as if the circumstances of which I had been invited hadn't been so unfortunate. Eric was pretty good looking. Well, more than that. He appeared to be smart and fair, in a calculating sort of way. He seemed like a 'worth-looking-into' sort of guy, I tried to think positively. Besides, I had some things I wanted to ask him that I was pretty sure only he could answer, whether I liked it or not. I had a silly nagging feeling that I really hadn't misunderstood him when he said that I had fairy blood. Was he just yanking my chain?

I looked over at my clock on the bedside table. I still needed to get some of the housework done. I didn't have to work tonight, since it was a Sunday and Merlotte's would close earlier than usual. I would have worked the night shift otherwise.  
I stuffed the card back into my jeans pocket, and got up to tend to the chores that I had been neglecting.

Sometime after I had finished the laundry and began the dishes, I decided that I would go to Fangtasia that night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

My first mistake was probably the clothing selection I picked out for the evening.  
It was a feminine but casual choice, an off-white sun dress which was adorned with a subdued floral pattern. Nothing too special. It was still warm enough out this time of the year to get away with putting it on during the evening. After all, I didn't want to go out wearing a rumpled pair of jeans and a t-shirt when I actually had the intention of meeting someone, even if the first encounter with Eric hadn't exactly been a pleasant one. Positive thoughts, Sookie. I had some questions that I wanted answered.

I had made sure that I had everything squared away for the day before I'd gotten around to getting ready to leave. I'd needed to drop by the store to get a few grocery items to stock the fridge with. After I'd done that, and then showered, eaten, and watched some TV, I picked out the dress. Most of the day, with how late I'd slept in, was eaten up after all this. Evening had begun to fall by then.

I stood in front of the mirror, applied some light make-up like I usually did, and pulled back my blond hair into a ponytail. Maybe some of the effects of the vampire blood were still lingering; my eyes seemed brighter in the mirror, my complexion clearer. Well, I wouldn't complain about that.  
I used a tiny bit of hair product in order to slick the loose hairs back, and then went to select a pair of heels from my modest collection of shoes, ones that matched the sun dress. Finally, I stood back to examine my appearance in the mirror, gave myself a once-over, and smiled when I decided I was happy with how I looked. I was lucky that the straps on the dress lay just so over the bite marks, covering them nicely.  
I slid the Fangtasia business card into a black leather purse, which I slung over my shoulder. I grabbed the keys from the table before I walked out to begin my drive to Shreveport.

It took a little bit of looking around to find the bar without being terribly familiar with the area and just having the address on the business card to go by, but I eventually located it along the shopping strip in Shreveport. I found a place to park after I'd located the harsh red sign identical to the lettering on the business card; The Fangtasia sign glowed a neon red above a door of the same color. The building itself was gray.

The woman at the door - a vampire - was dressed in a rather tacky black dress. The next step would have been something latex, but she covered the stereotypical vampire look pretty well in her lacy black ensemble. Maybe she realized how stupid she looked in it, because she didn't seem like a happy camper. It suddenly struck me that this bar, named Fangtasia after all, was probably almost entirely staffed with vampires. Okay, so maybe I wasn't exactly on the ball today. I wondered what a bar full of vampires was going to look like.  
To my surprise, she carded me. I fished my ID from my purse, giving her a polite smile. She examined it briefly, and handed it back unsmilingly before gesturing me inside wordlessly. She brushed me off for a couple of other people who approached the entrance, whom she treated the same way. Rude.

The interior of the bar matched the exterior, in it's theme of red and gray. The lighting was dim. I was right about the staff - though some were humans trying to pass off as vampires, most actually were. They were all dressed the same way as the woman at the door, in outfits that were generally black and ranging from dramatic to just tacky. The Fangbangers, because I was nearly certain that that's what most of the human patrons here were, dressed about the same, but without pulling it off nearly as well. They looked quite distinctly human next to all of the vampires. There were scattered tables throughout the bar, and other than the dark theme of it all, it looked like a normal bar.

And I stuck out like a sore thumb. For a second, I thought very seriously about turning around and marching my little sundress-clad butt right out. What would Gran have said?  
I smiled nervously, aware that I was getting some odd (and some just plain violating) looks already. Maybe I was just being too self-conscious - there were some other plainly dressed people here, after all. After an awkward moment of scanning the crowd in the bar, I finally saw Eric. He was sitting at a table towards the end of the room, with another blond vampire, this one female. She, too, wore black. She looked out of place in the drab color, I thought. Of course, I wouldn't ever have told her that.  
Eric wore a pair of jeans coupled with a black T-Shirt and a pair of black boots, managing to match the theme and look casual at the same time.  
I took a deep breath, putting behind me the notion of leaving, and approached their table.

"I wasn't sure if you'd come by," Eric said, smiling casually as I approached. Well, good to see you again, too.  
The female beside him, looking just as bored as when I had walked in, gave me a curious glance which she then shifted to Eric. He ignored that. Not extending any explanation or greeting, she simply quirked an eyebrow at me and then went back to looking uninterested quickly enough. She looked out at the crowd of people like a bored cat gazing into a fish tank. Now that I thought about it, most of the vampire staff here wasn't exactly sunshine and roses. Maybe the Fangbangers hanging around enjoyed being treated that way. Did they like being bitten, or just treated badly? Maybe both. Ick.  
"I wasn't, either," I said, trying to sound like I was joking. I was serious, though, and I'm pretty sure some of that crept into my voice. I reminded myself to not forget my manners.  
He looked genuinely amused to hear me say that, and I wasn't sure if I should have felt offended or not at him finding my indecisiveness concerning whether or not I actually wanted to see him again funny. I felt like sticking my tongue out at him. "Have a seat," he finally offered, and I did. "This is Pam. Pam, Sookie," Eric introduced briefly, gesturing between each of us accordingly. I smiled as warmly as I could bring myself to, knowing that it probably wasn't going to be returned (it wasn't.) Pam only gave a nod, which I had to admit was at least better behavior than most of the staff had shown so far. As if it were an afterthought, she added in a cool voice, "Hello, Sookie." Well, it wasn't exactly a pleasure-to-meet-you, and I didn't think she'd have said it if Eric hadn't been talking to me already, but it was better than nothing. "Nice to meet you, Pam." She tried not to look too offended. How kind.

Finding myself a seat and settling down didn't seem to have taken any of the attention of the bar patrons away from me. In fact, even a couple of the vampires spared a quick glance my way. Now this I found odd. Maybe an initial glance at the mismatched newcomer was permissible, but this was getting sort of silly. "Why are they all looking over here so much?" I asked in a slightly hushed tone.  
"I am the owner of this bar," Eric said, which made a lot of sense, but still surprised me for a second. 'And also a very important vampire' was sort of nonchalantly implied with the sentence, though he didn't say it in words. I had to fight to resist the urge to roll my eyes, telling myself that he wasn't trying to sound arrogant. He was just stating a fact. I had a feeling he was leaving a little bit out of his explanation, too, but I nodded all the same. I tried not to express any outward distaste when I realized that that probably meant that the attention on us wasn't going to ease up by any significant amount soon - being the owner of a bar might not matter much in other places, but here people were going to wonder what plain-looking me was doing sitting and having a casual chat with this very vampirey-looking vampire.

"Although it may be simply because you're wearing a floral sun dress in the middle of Fangtasia," Eric added, clearly entertained, to my dismay. I could feel my cheeks turn slightly red. I gave him a look, but he only looked calmly back. "Well, I wouldn't know. It isn't exactly an interest of mine to dress up like some of these people here, and..." I trailed off when someone approached the table at the perfect time to demonstrate one of the many ways I could have ended my sentence accurately. She looked barely old enough to be drinking in the bar, and she walked up to Pam in such a self-deprecating manner that she probably could have managed to look more dignified if she'd just _crawled _up to Pam's seat. Her thoughts were just as pathetic; she thought about how she didn't really deserve to talk to the beautiful blond vampire, and how many drinks she'd needed to work herself up to talking to Pam at all. Even her thoughts sounded slurred and dizzy. Was it always like this here?  
"Please, can I -" the young woman had begun, reaching towards Pam. "No touching," Pam said in an icy tone, though she didn't look like she'd mind dealing with it if the human was witless enough to try it anyway. The girl abruptly lost her nerve then, closed her mouth, and quickly returned to her group of friends, chiding herself all the way back to their table.

Well, that sure was something, wasn't it? I tried not to gape in surprise. I congratulated myself on how quickly I managed to gather myself after the woman had left.  
"That happen often?" I asked, looking between the two of them. "Yes," Pam said simply. Eric shrugged.  
I realized that I hadn't really been asking Eric any of the things I'd actually intended to come and ask him. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened at Tara's house," I said simply. I figured saying 'about what happened last night' would sound a little too personal for the setting here in the bar. I didn't want another look from Pam. Even if she didn't care, I would still mind the assumption.  
"Then talk," Eric said. Did he really not mind me talking about that here? I looked at him for a second, but he just looked back. Was he _trying_ to be annoying?  
"What did you mean by fairy blood?" I asked, deciding to cut to the chase. I'd lowered my voice a notch, but I had the feeling that it might not help much. If he wanted to talk about it here though, I wasn't going to lose my nerve.  
Pam eyed me in a very interested manner quite suddenly. I tried not to notice. She gave me a once-over, one that lingered long enough for me to give her a dirty look, and then slowly smiled to herself like she was happy with whatever conclusions she had drawn from that.  
"Can we talk somewhere else?" I asked abruptly, before Eric could answer. I hated to be rude, but there was only so much of all this unwanted attention I could put up with at once. I was beginning to feel downright violated.  
"I think that that would be better," he replied coolly.

His office was a small room with a desk and various other typical office supplies in it. It was very plain in contrast with the red, black, and gray harshness in the center of the bar. Eric gestured to the seat in front of the desk, indicating I should have a seat, before he settled down in the seat on the opposite side of the desk.  
We sat in silence for a moment, Eric looking thoughtful.  
"I'd asked what you meant by fairy blood," I said finally. "I heard," he said, then looked at me. "You really do not know?"  
I shook my head. "No, or I'm sure I wouldn't have asked," I said, trying not to sound sarcastic. He smiled again. "It's exactly what it sounds like," he said.  
I still wasn't sure. I mean, I knew what fairies were, from fairytale books, but surely he didn't mean _that_. I'd considered it earlier, but only for a second before I'd dismissed it as silly. It had to be some weird vampire slang for something else.  
I shrugged. "Like what? The only 'fairies' I know of are supposed to be those little people in children's books. Enlighten me."  
"They aren't all like little people, Sookie. Somewhere in your family, maybe a grandparent because you don't smell like a half-fairy, had children with one... Whether they knew it or not." Eric said every bit of that with a serious face.

I stared at him blankly for a long minute, stunned into silence. I could feel my cheeks redden with heat. And I got angry. "What do you take me for? I may have been born during the day, you know, but it wasn't yesterday," I said defensively, standing. I felt like a fool - that would make it twice in as many days that I felt completely screwed over.  
He didn't seem phased by my irritation. "I am not lying to you."  
I glared.  
"You saw the way Pam looked at you when you asked. She could tell after she looked, too. It wasn't very noticeable, but some of the vampires that are here even spared you an extra look, though I am sure they didn't know why," he explained. I considered walking out then, but decided not to. I'd made the drive here, I didn't want to waste it just to go back home without any answers, I tried to reason with myself. If I left now I would be even unhappier. I tapped my foot on the ground in impatient thought.  
"Is that why the glamor thing doesn't work on me?" I asked, when the thought suddenly struck me. His answer wasn't helpful, though: "I don't know."  
Maybe it was just because I was a telepath, or whatever you wanted to call it. I took it that not all fairies, if he wasn't just yanking my chain, could read minds.

So, maybe there were fairies. There were vampires, and I was a telepath. When I put it into perspective, I admitted that it was a possibility. I didn't like it, but it was rational to a certain extent. I wouldn't have said that years ago, before the vampires went public, but I couldn't help that any. I could be open-minded enough to at least consider it.  
"Does it just... Not work sometimes?" I asked, somewhat hopefully. Maybe I was just one of a modest group of people who couldn't be enthralled by a vampire. That would be neat.  
"I have never had it happen," Eric said the words distastefully. I sighed, and awkwardly sat back down in the seat. I'd been very sure that I was going to leave a minute ago, but I couldn't see any reason why I shouldn't trust him. He hadn't lied to me when I'd been caught after drinking his blood a few nights ago, as weird as that sounded.

"What would it mean, if I did have fairy blood?" The words nearly hurt to ask, they sounded that silly.  
"Nothing significant. You're still very distinctly human for the most part. You will probably be a little more noticeable and attractive than most of the other humans, especially to vampires," Eric explained, as I listened intently, "And your blood will taste a little sweeter." He lowered his tone ever-so-slightly when he said that, and smiled a certain way. He said that in the same way that someone might give me the compliment that my hair smells good, or that I have pretty eyes. "Especially now that you have had vampire blood already."  
I cleared my throat after I realized I was blushing at the compliment. For an awkward little bit of time, I drew a blank on what to reply with because I was preoccupied with that little look he'd given me.  
I let myself be distracted by some flirty thoughts, before I reminded myself that I was supposed to be thinking of something appropriate to say. Which would not be something involving anything naughty. I realized that Eric seemed like maybe he would be genuinely nice to be around. He was definitely good looking. _And_ he was showing some interest in me... He did have the potential of being the first date who's mind I couldn't read. I found myself agreeable to the thought that we should at least meet up again.  
Good thing vampires couldn't read minds, too. I had to suppress a giggle at that thought.  
When I gathered myself enough to smile nervously, he looked back at me with his clear blue eyes and a little knowing smile.  
"Well... Thank you, Eric," I said, standing, because I couldn't think of anything else to ask. He stood, too, and I crossed the distance between us to stick out my hand. Eric looked at it oddly for a second, before he raised his eyes to look at me as if I'd done something charming. He leaned in closer then, slowly, and I wasn't sure how to react.  
His lips were slightly cool, and brushed against mine ever so slightly. My heart fluttered in my chest, and the world narrowed to his lips on mine. Gentle at first, then his hand threaded through the hair at the back of my neck and I really leaned into it, encouraging more. The kiss deepened, little by little, and his free hand found an amazing spot settled at my hip just as my hands found a snug spot around his waist. His tongue darted out, making a slow stroke along my bottom lip, promising more, and I told myself I'd have to pull away now or I was going to be able to stop at all. Reluctantly I pulled away, resting my head against his for a moment.

I thought for a second about apologizing, saying that I would love to continue more but just not right now, but just as I started to panic about having done the wrong thing, I saw that he didn't look upset. He just looked pleased. I realized that I wanted to, but I couldn't bear the thought of more of this excitement in the middle of the lingering aftermath of the night before.  
"I find it enjoyable to see you content, Sookie," Eric said, as we pulled apart, and I wasn't exactly sure what to make of that because I sure hoped that that's what he was feeling when he'd just been kissing me. He leaned back over his desk to draw another Fangtasia card from a little stand on the surface, and a pen from the wire cup-holder beside it. He paused to look up at me for a moment, looking thoughtful again, and then he flipped the card over to the blank side before he set it down on the desk and swiftly scrawled something across it. He popped the pen back into it's place before he turned back to me, and handed me the new card. I examined it long enough to realize that it was a telephone number on the back.  
"That is not the number for the bar, but my personal number. I trust you will not give it out," Eric said, as nicely as he could say it while still making it a little firmer than a request. His way of saying please, I guess. He seemed important enough to not want his cellphone number passed about, and until I had the time to call and talk, or invite him over, I wouldn't know exactly why. It felt significant that he'd given me this number instead of just the number for the bar, though.

It was getting late. I hadn't asked nearly as many of the questions I had thought I should have asked, but for the life of me I couldn't think of them.  
"Thank you," I said honestly, and I smiled. "I'll call you soon. Goodbye, Eric."  
"Goodbye, Sookie," he returned.  
I turned and left then, new card in my purse, thinking that the situation couldn't have turned out more confusingly. For the first time in my life I went home not thinking about how full of filth my interest's head had been full of, but rather, how interesting he had been and how peaceful not having to listen to every little thought that crossed his mind was. I went home happy.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: Sookie Stackhouse and all related characters and themes from the Southern Vampire Series belong to Charlaine Harris, not myself._

**Chapter Four**

I had work the next day. It felt odd to have to put on the same old Merlotte's uniform and drive to work just like I normally did, after the past couple nights of my life had been so out of the ordinary. I was usually a quiet, routine kind of girl who things like that didn't happen to. I realized that that sounded a little over-dramatic, and tried to tone the giddiness down a notch. I couldn't lie, it had been a nice little discovery to realize that my telepathy didn't work on Eric and the rest of the vampires, a relief from the buzz of working with and around people most of the time. And the kiss had been the nicest thing of all, hands down. I was practically ready to burst with the anticipation of being able to see Eric again, not only to recreate the kissing scenario, but to be able to ask some of the questions I still had unanswered. Some big ones, admittedly - Like what precisely was a fairy? If they weren't the little people from children's books, what were they?  
Apparently they were human-like enough to have procreated with one of my grandparents. Unless I was wrong, and they weren't. I avoided thinking too hard about that one.

When I got to work, my smile came naturally instead of out of nervousness for once. It was usually just as much of a job to keep out of everyone's thoughts and not confuse it with actual conversation as it was to just serve them their food and drinks, but for once I didn't mind as much as I normally would have. Sam eyed me after I'd came in with a little extra bounce in my step than usual, and smiled to show that he was appreciative of the fact. I smiled right on back. I was glad he didn't ask me right away why I was happier than usual. What was I supposed to say? 'Oh, it's great you asked, Sam. I just had what I guess was a date last night with a vampire, because I drank his blood with Tara the night before. It was nice that he didn't bite me again, but kissed me instead.'  
I had a feeling that that wouldn't go over too well. Speaking of which, when I had woken this morning I had noticed that what had been barely-noticeable puncture marks on my neck the night before, had been completely healed. The scabs had vanished and my skin was just as smooth as ever. Was that a side-effect of the vampire blood? That was another question to add to the list.  
I still didn't want to lie to Sam if he happened to ask. I told myself a few times for reassurance that it was Sam's problem if he had an issue with the vampires or me dating one, not mine. It didn't make me feel much better.

The night was pretty uneventful for the most part. That's the kind of bar Merlotte's was more often then not.  
At one point Arlene had stopped to tell me that she knew the type of smile that I had plastered on my face, and gave me a wink to make sure I got the message. Well, that was Arlene. She sure said whatever it was she thought she had to say, and I'm sure she'd find someone to gossip about it to later. I grinned back at her in response, wondering how her kids were. It had been awhile since I had babysat for her at all.

When it got time to close up, Dawn and Arlene managed to make it out just before I did. I shook my head when I watched Dawn walk right into the arms of my brother just outside the door, where he'd apparently been waiting to pick her up. Too bad neither of them was going to take the other too seriously anytime in the near future. Jason just wasn't that type of guy.

"You look a lot happier today, Sook. I'm glad to see it," Sam said to me after I had gone to toss my apron into the bin assigned for them. "Thanks, Sam," I grinned back at him, trying not to be too nervous about it.  
"So what's the reason for that big smile tonight?" he asked.  
I opted for the short version. "I had a date last night."  
Sam didn't catch himself in time to completely hide the surprise. When he did, though, he hid it quickly in favor of a smile. I pretended not to notice, because Sam was a good guy. I admitted to myself that it probably was a big surprise that I hadn't gone out with someone who hadn't driven me nuts by the end of the evening, because with other humans that was usually the inevitable.  
"That's great. I know you usually have a hard time with some of the folks around here; I'm glad to hear you had a good time with someone for once," Sam said sincerely. "He from around here?" He added as an afterthought. He was wiping a cloth across the bar counter, cleaning it for the next day.  
From? It struck me that I didn't know exactly where Eric was from. He had an accent, that was for sure, but I couldn't have pinned that down. "Shreveport," I said. I took a deep breath. "He owns a place called Fangtasia."  
Sam didn't make an attempt to conceal his surprise this time. He took it the way I hoped he wouldn't.  
"Fangtasia is a vampire bar, Sookie. It's owned by a vampire," he said as if I must be mistaken. "I know that," I snapped. He was silent for a second.  
"You're going to get yourself into trouble dating a vampire, Sookie," he said then, tactlessly. I gave him a look. "I'm happy with him so far, Sam. Unlike most of the people around here, I can get some peace when I'm around him," I said truthfully. "It was nice talking to you, but I've got to get going."  
Sam shook his head, nonplussed. "Be careful, Sookie."  
I left.

After I got home, I busied myself with some chores, mostly out of frustration. I knew Sam meant well, but couldn't he just be happy for me? The times that I did drop my guard enough to see into Sam's mind, I'd seen how much he cared for me. Maybe he was being over-protective, or maybe he was just simply jealous. I had a feeling that it was the ladder.  
Besides that, I kept thinking about how I wanted to call Eric. Didn't people usually wait a day or two after they'd gotten someone else's number? I didn't want to look desperate.  
It had to be different circumstances now that we'd already been on what seemed to have been very much like a date, and that I had a lot of questions to ask him about some things that were probably pretty important in my life. Right?  
Maybe discussing my heritage wasn't exactly paramount, but Eric had told me that I had fairy blood and I still didn't really know what that was supposed to mean. Not exactly your regular human heritage. He'd also told me the night before that it'd make me more attractive to vampires, especially since I'd had some of his blood. Well, why?

Maybe I could just call him, to talk. Having him come over just after seeing him the night before might be a little much, but I couldn't see anything wrong with a phone call even though, admittedly, I'd rather have him with me.  
Just after I grabbed my cellphone out of my purse from where I had left it on the table, and the Fangtasia card along with it, I heard a knock at the door. It was rather late at night, and I had no idea who it could be, but decided to answer it anyway. The phone call could wait. I set my cellphone and the card back down on the table, and went to answer it just as another short burst of knocks sounded against the wood.

There was a stranger standing at my doorstep when I opened it. I had no idea who he was, but whatever his name was he was definitely a vampire. He had medium-length, light brown hair and hazel eyes, an average build, and no reason I could think of to be standing at my door with a smile like the one he had.

"Can I help you?" I asked politely, trying to tell myself I was being cautious rather than rude when I didn't invite him in.  
But he decided to try to invite himself in anyway, by glamoring me, or trying to anyway. "You certainly can, if you would invite me in now," the man said in a calm voice, focusing on my eyes.  
"Don't you try that on me. What do you take me for?" I said, offended. If he wanted to be tactless then I could do it right back just as well.  
The man looked surprised, but only for a second. "I saw you at the Shreveport bar the other night. I'm a vampire," he said, self-righteously, as if that was supposed to be some impressive charm like he'd just told me he was a brain surgeon. Before I opened my mouth to simply tell him to leave, the thought struck me as to how on earth he'd known where I lived.  
"You followed me back to my home?" I asked blankly.  
"What else would you have gone to the bar for?" The man asked, sounding irritated now. It took me a second to follow his logic, and I wondered if vampires could have mental illnesses like humans could. "The only humans that go to that bar want a vampire. No one has claimed you," he explained, though his logic, or lack thereof, was beginning to worry me.  
"I don't want that," I said carefully, very aware that the distance between us would be so easily closed if he were able to pass the threshold. I didn't like the way he was talking. He hadn't yet, though, and I hoped over and over again that the rumors I heard about vampires having to be invited in were true. It was holding up well enough so far, anyway.  
"You need to leave now," I added, before he could reply.  
"Look at me. Let me in, human," he said, his troubled eyes on mine again, "If you don't, I will wait. I will kill whoever you send to help you, until you have to lea-" he was interrupted by my slamming the door in his face. Although I figured it would do little help if the vampire could actually damage the door, I immediately locked it, too. I tried to rationalize that the vampire would get bored and leave, and that locking him out would be well enough, but panic bubbled up in my chest. He'd just tell me he'd kill anyone I tried to send over for help. Did the police have vampires working for them now? I couldn't remember.

Well, I guess it turned out that I had a mighty good reason to give Eric a call anyway. I darted back to the table uneasily, although I had no logical reason to rush when the vampire was locked outside. I tried to calm down, which didn't really work.

My hands shook as I picked up my cellphone from the table again, glancing back at the front door even as I did so. It remained silent. I typed in the number wrong the first time out of nervousness, and had to start over again before I finally mashed in the correct numbers on the second try.  
Eric picked up on the third ring. "Yes," he said, more of a statement than it was a question. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Before I could orient myself enough to greet him back properly, he spoke again, "Sookie. Calm your breath and tell me what is wrong."  
How had he known it was me? One thought after another raced through my head, and I glanced back towards the door again.  
"You're the only one I could think to call. There's a vampire here, he seems, I don't know, sick. Mentally. I didn't want to call anyone I knew - He said he'd hurt them," I said in a jumble, absurdly hoping for a second that I didn't sound pathetic before I realized that I didn't care. I damn well needed help and I sure hoped he'd be the one to come and help me, because I didn't know what else to do.  
"I will be there," Eric said, and hung up.  
Not much of one for chatting on the phone, was he? Right now, that irritated me, though I knew it wouldn't if I didn't feel as stressed out as I did right then. I clutched my cellphone and looked around the room again, thoroughly unsure of what I was supposed to do then.

And so I waited, for what felt like a very long time.


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: Sookie Stackhouse and all related characters and themes from the Southern Vampire Series belong to Charlaine Harris, not myself._

**Chapter Five**

I jumped when I heard the knock at the door. I was immediately conflicted as to whether or not I should go and answer it; how would I know whether or not it was Eric?  
I reasoned with myself that either way, whoever it was wouldn't be able to cross the threshold without invitation.  
I still didn't like the idea of being that close to something that could rip me to shreds if I just so happened to cross the threshold by that little bit of space.

My hand still shook when I placed it on the doorknob. I swung it open quickly, and there in the doorway stood a slightly frazzled-looking Eric. His hair looked a little windswept. I wondered briefly how he'd gotten here by car so quickly. I felt relieved beyond words at seeing him there.

"I see no vampire in your yard, Sookie," he said, "I will search around your house for him, however, you should stay inside and..." he abruptly stopped, looking sharply to the side and leaning into a defensive stance quicker than my eyes could keep up with, fangs suddenly extended.  
And then he was shoved to the ground, the other vampire on top of him. Eric reached up to grip the other man's sides, and I heard the sound of what I imagined to be his rib bones popping.

I panicked.  
Eric managed to throw the other vampire off of him just as I shouted and, without having given it a second thought, walked out the door in what I thought was going to be an attempt to help Eric out. Just as soon as I realized my mistake, the brown-haired vampire was up and lunging towards me. I was slammed down on the porch so hard it knocked my breath right out of me, and nearly put me out cold. The sight of the vampire lowering his teeth to my neck was something I barely registered through the stars swimming in my vision and the ringing in my ears.  
Then Eric was grabbing him, pulling him away from me just as I'd felt the scrape of his fangs against my flesh. I looked over, and grabbed the first thing I saw - a rake leaning up against the side of the house. As Eric pulled the other vampire to his knees, I swung the rake up at the psycho's chest, piercing the general area of where I hoped his heart would be. His eyes went wide as he felt it break the skin. I braced the rake there and brought one of my legs up to shove the steel spikes as far in as they would go. I kicked as hard as I could, and it sunk deeply into his chest.

The vampire died. _All over me.  
_  
The effect was almost more disconcerting than having decided to kill him to begin with was, and in a second I had half-liquid blood and flesh spilling down on to me. The rake slid out along with it, and came falling down right onto my leg, gouging into my thigh.  
I shouted and pulled myself up, shoving the rake away again.  
I stood and stepped back until the side of the house blocked me from stepping back any further. I had a hard time getting the leg that had been gouged by the rake to move the way I wanted it to move.  
I didn't know exactly what it was that I was trying to step back from, but I wanted away from the whole situation right then and there more desperately than I had ever wanted anything else. I thought that if I had to have the disintegrating bits of vampire all over me for one second longer, I would scream. I swiped at the remains furiously, flinging the thick, stringy bits of bloody matter off of my fingertips. Blood dripped into my eyes, and I spat some out. Some had gotten into my mouth. I felt my stomach heave.

"Sookie, calm down," Eric said. I realized I was hyperventilating.  
"Don't you tell me to calm down!" I said to him, and my voice came out in a hysterical scream.  
"Invite me in. We will get you taken care of," Eric said calmly. Was he really so unfazed by what had just happened? At all?  
"Come in," I said, just after I had turned and walked just past the threshold. I was dripping blood on to the nice clean floors, I noticed vaguely.

I suddenly felt Eric lift me up. First I was immediately thankful for not having to soil the floors on the way to my bathroom, and then I felt slightly miffed for being carried like a fragile thing through my own house. I wasn't fragile. I had just killed a vampire. _I had just killed something._  
No, no, no. I gagged again, feeling my weight shift in Eric's arms - I was a big sticky mess, and I smelled awful. The vampire blood was dark and thick and it clung to me like oil, slicking against every part of my body when I moved.

When we got to the bathroom, Eric set me gingerly back onto my feet.  
And then he tried to undress me.  
"Get out!" I said, horrified, shoving the hem of my shirt back down from where he'd raised it to.  
"That's not safe. You might pass out in the water," Eric said neutrally, eyes on mine as he pulled the shirt back up again, watching my face for permission this time. I didn't think he'd listen to me even if I said no, because he was right and it probably wasn't really very safe, but I nodded anyway. I lifted my arms to slip them free from the shirt, which was so sticky and damp that it clung to my skin like rubber as it was peeled off. I nearly tripped as he lifted it over my head, and I felt his arm around my back to steady me before the collar slipped free of my eyes and I could see again.

"Besides, you just killed a vampire," Eric observed, "It would be a cruel thing in life if you were to have bested a superhuman being in a fight, only to drown yourself washing off the blood ten minutes later." He sounded amused by that little not-a-joke. I scowled at him, and his lips twitched when he noticed. He wrapped his arms around me to slip his hands back to the clasp of my bra - which _had_ been a nice lilac color trimmed with white lace, but was now black with blood - and slipped it off of my shoulders. I wobbled on my feet again, suddenly wishing drowsily that I could just dip into some warm water right then. I felt dizzy and groggy.

Eric was doing well enough at being a gentlemen - or at least, pretending to be one - because his face was modestly blank as he slid the rest of my clothing off, carefully. I noticed that his fangs were fully extended - from the fight before, or just from undressing me now, I wasn't sure - as he trailed his hand from my chest, where he'd pulled my bra off, down my hips to unbutton my shorts. His fingers hooked into the sides of the fabric where the dips in the side of my stomach made a shallow curve, and he pulled both my shorts and the panties underneath down at once. The whole act was oddly sensual.  
I would have appreciated the situation a whole lot better if I wasn't bloody and dizzy and a killer.  
He tugged my shoes off, along with my socks, before pulling my shorts and panties the rest of the way off with them. I had to brace myself against the wall to maintain my balance, and it left bloody smears on the old wallpaper. He added these to the growing pile of soiled clothes on the formerly white linoleum flooring. It was a mess, even with the help.  
He then stepped over to the bathtub, and started the water to a nice, hot temperature before plugging the drain.

"I wonder at you humans sometimes," Eric said as he turned back around to lift me once again. "One would think you would be happy to have overpowered a vampire, rather than moping," he mused idly as he dipped me into the tub, resting me so that my shoulders were sat up against the upwards slope of the cool ceramic. I shivered against the contrast of the coolness against my shoulders, and the warm water encompassing my legs, rising as the water rushed from the tap.  
"I wouldn't have ever wanted to be a killer," I replied, trying to make my voice sound scolding even though it came out weak.  
The warm water felt amazing. Eric looked at me curiously, before he scooped his hands into the water, rinsing the blood from his hands. It was already taking on a reddish tint.  
Now that I took a good look at him, he was bloody, too, and not just from me and the other vampire. His chin had a sizable gash on it, and his shirt was torn slightly in the chest area, as if the other vampire had tried to claw for his heart. If he hadn't ultimately been in a better state than I was, I would have thought to offer to let him shower first; I wasn't about to let him shower with me, after all, not yet anyway. I almost wanted to ask, simply to have the comfort of another body to hold me in the water, but that would be improper. I didn't want my first time with both of us nude to be in a tub-full of red tinted water, surrounded by the ominous white and blood-red environment.

"You would think yourself a killer, when defending yourself from a vampire?" Eric asked, intrigued. He now sat by the tub simply watching me, his elbows propped up on the edge, hands cradling his chin as he looked down at me.  
"Vampires are still people, too," I replied quietly. I stared down at my body as it soaked in the water, watching blood dissolve into it or simply rise to the top in odd flakes.  
I tried to lift my arm to reach for the soap at the side of the tub, but my arm felt pretty useless. It felt tingly and unattached, and I couldn't get a good grip on the bar.

"You are pale and weak, Sookie. I need to close your wound before you clean," Eric said, and he looked pleased. At first I didn't comprehend right away what he meant, but then the water rose up to the wound on my thigh, where the rake had fallen, and that in combination with the adrenaline wearing off made me realize that it hurt like a _bitch_. I let out a long hissing noise through my teeth as I ground them together. I felt another bout of dizziness wash over me, mingling with the pain. A dull headache was growing at the base of my skull.

I was very much reminded of the fact that that Eric was a vampire, if nothing else this evening had, as he dipped his hands into the water again, wrapping his hands around my leg so as to lift it up onto the side of the tub. He angled it well enough to be able to comfortably dip his head down, and before I could ask him what the _hell_ _he thought he was doing_, he sealed his mouth over the seeping gash.

It hurt, _a lot_, and I yelled out loud. Eric's eyes rolled up from my leg to look at me, but I closed my eyes tightly to try to deal with the pain. I didn't really want to look at Eric doing whatever the heck it was he was doing, because half of the things he had done tonight seemed to have an odd vibe of sexual tension surrounding it, and I really wasn't in the mood to have to deal with that.  
I felt his tongue lap across the wound, licking up the blood that had welled around it. I could have sworn I felt him moan ever-so-slightly against my skin, but I told myself not to think too hard about it. He was a vampire, and that was probably something that he enjoyed. Besides, he was being gentle, and that was the most I could ask for.

When he was done, I didn't feel any better. I re-opened my eyes to see that everything still felt and looked fuzzy, and that my leg still hurt. I looked up to first take notice of my leg, which at least was no longer bleeding. Then I looked at Eric, who was lazily licking the blood from his lips, his hand still resting on my thigh. I only registered that with my eyes, because the actual weight of his hand on my leg was something I was barely able to feel. His fangs were still fully extended.

Eric studied me for a moment, and I stared blankly back. I remembered, very slowly, that I was supposed to be washing up, but I didn't move.  
He raised his hand to his mouth then, and bit down on his wrist. I scowled at him, uncomprehending until he raised the freshly-made cut to my mouth. "It will make you feel better," he said, touching it to my lips.  
I hesitated, and then drank.

The first try didn't seem to make much of a difference. At least, not to me - Eric watched me avidly as I wrapped my lips tentatively around the wound on his wrist, shifting his body closer to the edge of the tub as if it would somehow bring him closer to my submerged body.  
The blood tasted different than what had come from the vial at Tara's house. It was warm this time, and the taste was a bit... Fresher.  
Carefully, I lapped up the blood that had already spilled free and drew back slightly to swallow it. "Suck," Eric urged as I pressed my lips to his wrist again, and so I did.  
I drew on it gently at first, and then a bit harder to bring more blood out. The process wasn't exactly pleasant for me, but when I cast my eyes up to look at Eric, I saw his eyes roaming over me through the cloudy water. I suddenly felt compelled to cover myself, but at this point it would have been rather pointless.  
His body swayed slightly with every draw I took from his wrist, subtle shifts that told me that he was enjoying the situation a whole lot more than I was. He finally settled his eyes on my lips after roaming my body fully, tensing slightly just as I took one last sip. He let out a long, almost disappointed breath when I leaned back again, awkwardly licking the last of the thick blood from my lips. Eric watched with interest through hooded eyes, lips parted enough to show the tips of his fangs.

Everything didn't look so fuzzy any more. I could think considerably more clearly, enough to register what it was that I had just done was probably pretty significant.  
And that it had made my companion pretty restless. Eric relaxed beside me, dipping his hand wordlessly back into the water to rinse the remaining blood from his wrist. The wound was already healing. He brushed his fingers up my leg through the water, and it felt a whole lot better than it had before. In fact, it felt a little bit better than it would have even normally. I gasped slightly, strangely feeling much more excitable than I had five minutes ago. His smile at my reaction was a deliciously wicked one.  
"Feel better?" He asked ambiguously.

"Is that because of the blood?" I asked, idly noting how much clearer the water - visually, not literally, because it was still red - and everything else looked now. I was quickly feeling much better.  
"Yes. It will make you appear more attractive, and feel more... Receptive," he said in a low voice. I watched appreciatively as he stood, my eyes scanning from his torso on down - and I noticed that I sure wasn't the only one who was feeling _receptive_ right then.  
Though I'm sure that my form of 'receptiveness' was a whole lot less impressive and noticeable than his.

"Allow me to join you, Sookie?"


End file.
